Friday, April 27, 2018

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This Day In Naval History – April 27, 2018

April 27

1805—With naval bombardment from USS Nautilus, USS Hornet, and USS Argus, Lt. Presley O'Bannon leads his Marines to attack Derne, Tripoli, and raises the first U.S. flag over foreign soil. The Battle of Derna was the Marines' first battle on foreign soil, and is notably recalled in the first verse of the Marines' Hymn.

1813—A U.S. naval squadron under the command of Commodore Isaac Chauncey supports an attack on York (now Toronto), Canada, of nearly 1,800 troops under Gen. Zebulon Pike during the War of 1812.

1861 - President Lincoln extended blockade of Confederacy to VA and NC ports

1963—USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) is launched at Groton, CT. Commissioned one year later, she serves until decommissioned in August 1990.

April 28

1930—Secretary of the Navy appoints the first Curator for the Department of the Navy, Dudley Knox.

1942—The U.S. Navy's Task Force 99, which consists of USS Wasp, USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita, plus four destroyers, sails from the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, as part of the mixed U.S.-British force "Distaff," to provide cover for Russian convoy at Iceland.

1944—German torpedo boats attack U.S. Navy LST convoy in Lyme Bay during Operation Tiger training for the Normandy Invasion. USS LST 507 and USS LST 531 are sunk at Portland Bill, England, and USS LST 289 is damaged, with 198 Sailors dead or missing and 551 Army dead or missing from later reports.

1944—Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox dies. He expanded the Navy into a force capable of fighting in both the Atlantic and the Pacific during the early years of World War II.

1814—American sloop USS Peacock and HMS Epervier engage in battle. Peacock takes two 32-pound shots in her fore-yard with the first exchange, but her return broadside smashes most of Epervier's rigging and guns. After 45 minutes, Epervier is captured. The battle is hailed as a tribute of American gunnery as Epervier has 45 shot holes in her port side.

1944—Task Force 58 begins a two-day attack on Japanese shipping, oil and ammunition dumps, aircraft facilities, and other installations at Truk following the support of the Hollandia landings in the Pacific.

1944—USS Pogy (SS 266) sinks the Japanese submarine I 183, 30 miles south of Ashizuri Saki, Japan.

1975—Commander Task Force 76 receives the order to execute Operation Frequent Wind (initially Talon Vise), the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese who might suffer as a result of their past service to the allied effort.

2009—A destroyer formerly known as USS Conolly (DD 979) is sunk during the UNITAS Gold sinking exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.

Thanks to CHINFO

Executive Summary:

Top national headlines are focused on the meeting currently taking place between North and South Korean leaders, the guilty verdict returned yesterday in the Bill Cosby Trial, and the Golden State killer suspect's recent arrest and upcoming appearance in court. The New York Times reports that Kim Jong-un crossed the border into South Korea to meet with South Korean president Moon Jae-in, marking the first time that a North Korean leader has set foot in South Korean territory. USNI News reports that efforts by the HASC to create a single authority for force generation are facing pushback. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) expressed concern that removing the Pacific Fleet's autonomy in manning, training and equipping "could negatively impact the speed, flexibility and agility of our forces operating in the Indo-Pacific region under PACOM's command." Additionally, Defense News reports that the HASC conducted a markup of the FY 19 National Defense Authorization Act that added 13 ships, three above the Navy's request.

RIPPLE SALVO… #783… REMEMBER PROFESSIONAL BOXER ARCHIE MOORE?… WON 186 OF 219 PRO FIGHTS WITH 141 KNOCK OUTS… TEN YEARS AS THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD (1952-62) … In the tumultuous '60s Archie Moore was a voice of reason. In fact, his words are for the ages… Humble Host came across some of those words in the 28 April 1968 Sunday morning Ogden Standard Examiner and tracked down the origin of a great American's stand on civil disobedience. … but first…

GOOD MORNING: Day SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE of a look in the past for a clue to the future…

HEAD LINES from the OGDEN STANDARD-EXAMINER on Saturday, 27 April 1968…

THE WAR: Page 1: "BOMB RAIDS HIT RED SUPPLY LINES–PILOTS SAY FUEL DUMPS BURN"… "The B52 bombers Saturday flew seven blockbuster strikes against terminal points of the Ho Chi Minh trail over which Communist war supplies are flown into South Vietnam at an unprecedented rate amid President Johnson peace efforts. U.S. spokesman today said six of the raids were against Communist troops concentrated southwest of Hue and Da Nang, two key marshalling points for North Vietnamese men and supplies using the infiltration path that winds through Laos. The seventh hit was in the A Shau Valley, the trails northern entry point from Laos into South Vietnam… American intelligence sources reported the increased traffic Saturday and said American warplanes were meeting the challenge with a record number of missions in the nominally neutral Laos…"In the ground war, military officials said allied troops killed 114 Communists Saturday in a series of small clashes that ranged from near the Cambodian border in the Central Highlands to the Mekong Delta. U.S. casualties were reported as 10 killed and 60 wounded."… Page 1: "ENVOYS MEET;DEADLOCK'S STILL HOLDING"… "U.S. and North Vietnamese representatives met again in Laos Saturday without breaking the deadlock over where to hold preliminary peace talks, the State Department disclosed."…

Page 1: "SATURN RECEIVES FLIGHT 'GO AHEAD' "… "CAPE CANAVERAL"…"Space agency administrator James W. Webb Saturday gave the order to begin preparing the next Saturn 5 super rocket for an astronaut flight late this year."… Page 1: "ISRAEL SAYS WON'T ALTER PARADE IN JERUSALEM PLAN–U.N. ASKS CALLOFF BECAUSEOF TENSE TRADE SITUATION"… "The U.N. Security Council unanimously called upon Israel Saturday night to 'refrain from holding a military parade in Jerusalem on the nation's 20th anniversary' next Thursday."…Page 1: "HAWKS, DOVES NOTE LOYALTY DAY WITH PARADES"…. "Americans of diverse beliefs participated by the thousands Saturday in antiwar demonstrations and Loyalty Day parades across the country. Fist fights and scores of arrests marked the largest massing of humanity–back-to-back parades and rallies in New York City."… Page 2: "Attorney General Rejects Conspiracy In King Death" … "Atty. Gen. Ramsey Clark said Saturday there is no significant evidence that the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. goes beyond the 'single actor' who fired the fatal shot." Page 2:"HUMPHREY'S ENTRY STIRS 3-WAY RACE."… "Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey made the Democracy presidential race a three way contest Saturday when he announced he would seek the party's nomination."… Page 4: "MANTLE BLASTS 521ST CAREER HOMER–TIES TED WILLIAMS"…

If the administration stays on track, it is possible the talks may significantly reduce the threat of war on the Korean peninsula, strengthen America's overall national security, and achieve a diplomatic feat that none of the previous 12 presidents were able to realize.

We must be clear-eyed, however, about the path ahead and remain grounded in reality. A lot could happen to derail the currently positive trends.

Kim could ask for immediate sanctions relief as the price for simply continuing to talk, which Trump has emphatically said he would not do. Trump could demand that Kim agree to a complete, verifiable, and irreversible disarmament before agreeing to any relief, which Kim is not likely to accept.

The North Korean leader may ask a high price for giving up his nuclear weapons. He may, for example, seek not just an ultimate peace treaty, but try to demand the early withdraw of the U.S. nuclear umbrella from South Korea and removal of all U.S. troops from the peninsula as signs of the "goodwill" Kim said he wanted to see from the U.S. and South Korea.

If Trump enters negotiations with the explicit intent on denuclearizing North Korea in the near term, then the talks will collapse and the risk of war will return to late-2017 levels. This outcome is not in America's interests, however, and not necessary for U.S. security.

Many pundits argue that Kim has no intention of actually giving up his nuclear weapons. Kim fed this belief himself when he said in his 2018 New Year's speech that "our republic has at last come to possess a powerful and reliable war deterrent, which no force and nothing can reverse."

Trump's demands

The good news, however, is that whatever Kim's intentions, they don't directly threaten our national security.

The United States is in a dominant position in these negotiations and our powerful conventional and nuclear deterrent can, quite literally, protect American interests indefinitely—even if full denuclearization is not realized for the foreseeable future.

America and South Korea possess a military superiority over North Korea with which Pyongyang could never compete. Even if Kim does now possess a few missiles, Washington's advantage in nuclear weapons is overwhelming. Trump is therefore is in the dominant negotiating position because he is under no pressure to have to make a deal.

Trump, who rose to prominence as a tough negotiator, will demand much from Kim while offering little in return, leveraging America's substantial conventional and nuclear military superiority to his advantage.

Kim, on the other hand, is suffering under increasing pressure from the sanctions and is under great pressure to make a deal. Time is on Trump's side, because the longer it takes to get to a deal, the longer it takes for sanctions to be lifted and the greater the risk over time that Kim's grip on power weakens.

Potential for success

Here's where the two leaders could come to terms of agreement.

One near-term objective that has some potential of success would be if Kim agreed to a verifiable removal of all long-range missiles from the North's inventories in exchange for limited sanctions relief, which would eliminate the threat of nuclear attack on the U.S. mainland, while promising to continue long-term negotiations towards denuclearization.

In this way, both sides come away with something, the talks continue, and the risk of war is further decreased.

Critically, the United States holds most of the cards. The U.S. can comfortably wait out years of tough negotiations to reach a mutually agreeable outcome, because our military deterrent can keep the country safe indefinitely.

But we must realize that we can't force Kim to denuclearize short of launching a catastrophic war (which would be devastating for American security and prosperity), and we should not push Kim into a corner where he feels he must use his weapons.

President Trump has pushed aggressive diplomacy with our allies, regional powers, and with North Korea directly with a view to ensure America's continued national security and economic prosperity.

If the discussions eventually result in a denuclearized peninsula, he will have achieved a truly historic outcome. But the comforting news for America and our allies is that Trump can ensure, indefinitely, the security of our nation and regional allies regardless of what Kim may eventually do.

Commentary by Daniel L. Davis, a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who retired in 2015 after 21 years, including four combat deployments. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.

Item Number:3 Date: 04/27/2018 EUROPEAN UNION - JOINT POLICE OPERATION TARGETS ISIS-AFFILIATED MEDIA (APR 27/EUROPOL) EUROPOL -- Europol and law enforcement agencies from the U.S. and Canada have launched a joint operation against websites affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS), reports the European Union's law enforcement body. The cyber-offensive on Wednesday aimed to cripple the ability of the terrorist groups to broadcast propaganda online through its semi-official Amaq news agency, said a Europol statement on Friday. Officers and officials from Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Romania, the U.K and the U.S. all took part in the operation. On April 25 and 26, the simultaneous multinational takedown, coordinated by the European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), with supported from the Eurojust agency and the Belgian Federal Prosecutor, led to the seizure of digital evidence. The operation, which also hit ISIS medoa outlets Al-Bayan radio, Halama and Nashir news, reduced the ability of ISIS to broadcast and publicize terrorist materials, said Europol. The nations began working on such projects in 2015, said a Europol statement. The group's first combined action occurred in August 2016. The operation hurt ISIS mobile applications and web infrastructure. The terrorist group responded by building more complex systems. A second strike led by Spain in June 2017 identified potential members and sympathizers in more than 100 countries. "We have punched a big hole in the capability of ISIS to spread propaganda online and radicalize young people in Europe," said Executive Director of Europol Rob Wainwright.

Item Number:6 Date: 04/27/2018 ISRAEL - IRAN TRAINING 80,000 MILITANTS NEAR DAMASCUS, SAYS U.S. AMBASSADOR (APR 27/HA) HAARETZ -- The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations says that Iran is training 80,000 Shi'ite fighters in Syria, reports Haaretz (Israel). Danny Danon presented satellite images to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. The photos showed an Iranian-run camp for foreign-born Shi'ite fighters 5.5 miles (8.8 km) northwest of the capital, Damascus, said Danon. Militants are trained at the site and then dispatched throughout the region, the ambassador said. Relations between Israel and Iran escalated after an armed drone penetrated Israeli airspace on Feb. 10. Israel has "conclusive evidence" that the drone was launched by Iranian forces operating in Syria, reported the Jerusalem Post. The drone was armed with explosives, the IDF said at the time. Israeli launched an air raid in response, which resulted in one of its F-16 fighters being downed. Israel believes that Iran is using its involvement in the Syrian war to open up a new front in the conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel would retaliate in kind against any Iranian attack on Tel Aviv, reported Reuters. The U.S. is monitoring the movement of suspected Iranian anti-air and ballistic missiles in Syria, reported CNN. Washington is worried that a pre-emptive Israeli strike on Iranian targets in Syria could spark a wider war, said multiple anonymous U.S. officials.

Item Number:9 Date: 04/27/2018 RUSSIA - MOSCOW SEEKS TO CAST DOUBT ON WESTERN ACCOUNTS OF SYRIAN CHEMICAL ATTACK (APR 27/ALJAZ) AL JAZEERA -- Russia has produced a number of apparently dissenting witnesses to a global watchdog investigating a possible chemical attack in Syria, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). Russian presented more than a dozen Syrians during a hearing Thursday of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, Netherlands. The OPCW is investigating an alleged April 7 attack on a rebel-held area in Douma, a suburb of Damascus. France, the U.S. and U.K. blame the strikes on the government of Bashar Assad and attacked Syrian chemical weapons facilities on April 13 in response. The Syrian witnesses told OPCW investigators that they were hiding in basements when someone told them to go to the hospital. Once at the hospital, some medical personnel and patients invented the story, said the witnesses. A few people came in with choking symptoms, likely caused by breathing dust and smoke from the ongoing bombardment, said one emergency room doctor. Russian officials said the testimony definitively disproved allegations of a chemical weapons attack. British, French and U.S. delegations boycotted an earlier briefing by the group, calling it a stunt to bolster the regime's account. French Ambassador Philippe Lalliot called the Russian briefing an "obscene masquerade," reported Agence France Presse. The OPCW also criticized the meeting, saying that it had recommended that Russia should wait until inspectors had finished their work. On the ground investigations in Syria have slowed due to security conditions. Western officials have accused Russia and Syria of stalling the work, allowing evidence of the attack to dissipate or be destroyed.

Item Number:10 Date: 04/27/2018 RUSSIA - SECURITY OPERATIONS IN N. CAUCASUS TARGET ISIS, HIZB UT- TAHNIR AL-ISLAMI MILITANTS (APR 27/) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has "eliminated" 12 militants and 14 terrorists during operations in Dagestan, Tatarstan, Stavropol Territory, and the Omsk and Ulyanovsk regions earlier this month, reports Interfax AVN. On April 21, the FSB reportedly thwarted a terror plot of an ISIS sympathizer in Stavropol, who was killed in a shootout with government forces. The alleged militant was planning attack son local buildings, the sun security service said. On April 21 and on April 24, the FSB conducted operations in Derbent to prevent alleged ISIS supporters from carrying out attacks on government officials. Eleven militants were killed during a firefight. Finally, 14 individuals belonging to the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami terrorist group were arrested in the Omsk and Ulyanovsk regions on April 24, the FSB said.

Item Number:11 Date: 04/27/2018 SOUTH KOREA - JOINT EXERCISE WITH U.S. ON HIATUS FOR INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT (APR 27/S&S) STARS AND STRIPES -- South Korea and the United States decided to temporarily suspend their annual war games on Friday to help ensure a smooth meeting between President Moon Jae In and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reports the Stars and Stripes. The decision announced on Thursday was one of several moves designed to de-escalate tensions on the peninsula ahead of the high-stakes summit in Panmunjom. The two-week Key Resolve command-post exercise were suspended on Friday and would resume Monday, said military officials. The decision was based "on a common assessment that the objectives and desired outcomes" of the first week of the exercise "have been achieved," the officials said. The Foal Eagle field exercise, which began on April 1, will continue into May, according to a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea. However, the Yonhap news agency (Seoul) reported that most of the training concluded on Thursday. The joint exercises were pushed back from February as part of efforts to reduce tensions during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Item Number:12 Date: 04/27/2018 SOUTH KOREA - KOREAN LEADERS AGREE TO WORK TOWARD PEACE TREATY, DENUCLEARIZATION (APR 27/NBC) NBC NEWS -- The leaders of North and South Korea say they are committed to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" and establishing "a new era of peace," reports NBC News. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In announced their intention to work with the U.S. and China in 2018 to end the Korean War and achieve "permanent peace," reported Reuters. Friday's talks were the first between leaders of the two countries in a decade. Kim and Moon signed the declaration after their meeting on the southern side of the demilitarized zone that has divided the countries since the 1950s. Previously, South Korean leaders had met northern officials in Pyongyang. Kim and Moon both took symbolic steps into the other's country. The two Koreas have officially remained at war since signing an armistice in 1953. "I came here to put an end to the history of confrontation as well as to work shoulder to shoulder with you to tackle the obstacles between us," Kim told Moon, as reported by the president's spokesman. Kim also joked about Moon's loss of sleep after an escalating series of missile and nuclear tests in 2016 and 2017, said the spokesman. Observers have been skeptical of North Korea's recent announcements, which included a promise this week to freeze nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantle its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri. Chinese scientists published an article this week that suggested the site was no longer functional. There are also concerns that Kim is seeking ties with Seoul in an effort to separate it from the U.S. and eliminate the sanctions that are hurting the North Korean economy, reported the New York Times. Some analysts say that Pyongyang's goal continues to be acceptance as a nuclear power in return for freezing its nuclear and missile programs. Earlier summits in 2000 and 2007 failed to achieve lasting changes. The developments from Friday's summit are expected to lay the foundation for an upcoming meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. Moon said he intended to visit the North in the fall.

Item Number:13 Date: 04/27/2018 USA - ARMY EXPERIMENTING WITH MOBILE LIGHT ARTILLERY FOR INFANTRY BRIGADES (APR 27/ARMY) ARMY TIMES -- The U.S. Army is testing a light, mobile howitzer for potential integration with its infantry brigade combat teams, reports the Army Times. The service has been working on a vehicle-mounted 105-mm howitzer as a way to enable troops to rapidly maneuver around the battlefield and avoid counter-fire. AM General, South Bend, Ind., has developed a Humvee-based 105-mm artillery vehicle for the testing. A maneuver and fires integration experiment at Fort Sill, Okla., has garnered positive reaction from members of the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical air and land forces. The subcommittee says a light, self-propelled 105-mm howitzer would be particularly valuable in Europe, where the Army may face sophisticated counter-battery capabilities. It could also fill a gap in indirect-fire capabilities in infantry brigade combat teams, the subcommittee said. Defense analysts are concerned that Russia's sophisticated, rapid-fire counter-battery systems outmatch U.S. capabilities. This could severely restrict the ability of U.S. and allied forces to operate in certain theaters, such as the Baltic region

Item Number:14 Date: 04/27/2018 USA - F-16 FIGHTER SUFFERED ENGINE ISSUES BEFORE CRASH, SAY OFFICIALS (APR 27/AFT) AIR FORCE TIMES -- U.S. Air Force officials say engine problems forced an F-16C pilot to try and make an emergency landing before he was forced to eject, reports the Air Force Times. The pilot, operating out of Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. reported "engine concerns" and diverted to a municipal airport in Lake Havasu City on April 24. The fighter was traveling too quickly during the landing and the pilot ejected. This is common practice when landing with too much speed, officials said. The jet then overshot the runway. Images of the crash site showed significant damage to the nose and cockpit. An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Item Number:15 Date: 04/27/2018 USA - PENTAGON TARGETS VEHICLE ATTACKS WITH MICROWAVE JAMMER (APR 27/D1) DEFENSE ONE -- The Dept. of Defense's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWD) is developing a high-powered microwave system that disrupts motor vehicle engines in an effort to combat vehicle-borne threats, reports Defense One. There are currently two variants of the Radio Frequency Vehicle Stopper. A smaller, mobile version of the device can be mounted on the back of a truck and has an effective range of approximately 50 meters (164 feet). Intended for vehicle pursuits, the operator would pull out in front of the target vehicle and activate the jammer. A more powerful, stationary device will have a range of a "few hundred" meters and could be could be pre-positioned in vulnerable areas such as street festivals, or areas perceived to have high value to would-be attackers. The jamming device works by disrupting the engine control unit in the vehicle, forcing it to reboot over and over, causing the engine to stall. The microwaves are designed so that they do not cause harm to vehicle occupants or permanent damage to vehicles. The target vehicle will be inoperable until the jammer is shut off. The JNLWD aims to have a working prototype by fiscal 2019.

Item Number:16 Date: 04/27/2018 YEMEN - HOUTHI COURT SENTENCES 8 MEN TO DEATH FOR SPYING (APR 27/SABA) SABA NEWS AGENCY -- A Yemeni court loyal to the Houthi rebels has sentenced eight people to death for cooperating with the Saudi-led coalition, reports Yemen's Saba news agency. The sentence was handed down by the Sanaa court on Wednesday, said the Houthi-controlled news outlet. The group was accused of cooperating with "enemy forces" and spying. The accused collected information on Houthi militants and the popular committees for the Saudi-led coalition, the court said. The defendants were also said to have planted explosive devices. The Houthi rebel group has controlled the government and services in Sanaa and much of the north of Yemen since 2014.

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